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Patan High Court orders 8 including Top Bahadur Rayamajhi to remain in custody



Former Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi (file)

Kathmandu, Dec 1 : Patan High Court, Nepal, has ordered eight people, including former minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, to be remanded in custody for the connection in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam.

A joint bench of judges Janak Pandey and Prakash Kharel, upheld the order of the Kathmandu District Court, to keep eight individuals, including the then Home Ministry Advisor Indrajit Rai, the then Home Secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, Keshav Dulal, and Angtawa Sherpa, in custody.

The opinion of the judges has differed on whether to keep former Minister for Home Affairs Bal Krishna Khand in custody or release him on bail.

However, the Court has ordered former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand’s private secretary Narendra KC to be released on bail. He was ordered to be released on a bail of Rs 1 million on Friday.

Likewise, the court ordered the police to release Bhutanese refugee leader Tek Nath Rijal on Rs 1.5 million bail. Sandeep Rayamajhi, son of former Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi was released on Rs 3 million bail.

The investigation has concluded that at least 33 people were involved in the scam. The report says at least 106 people have been defrauded of at least Rs 275 million with the promise of sending them to the United States as fake refugees.

Police arrested 16 people in connection to the case while 17 others were on the run.

Full text of the order